Chapter 70: Gains

In the Office of the Third Hokage, Tekku arrived in his civilian gear and knelt down as the ANBU protocol demands. Hiruzen Sarutobi noticed his arrival and regarded him with serious eyes.

"Owl report!" commanded the Third Hokage with an authoritative voice from behind his desk.

"While I was on my way home after today's mission, Uchiha-kun discovered me walking towards my apartment in my civilian attire. He approached me and demanded training. Of course, I pointed out that I wasn't allowed to become his teacher while he was an Academy student and didn't even have a Jonin sensei. But in the end, he bugged me so much that I gave in and agreed to give him a few pointers. He reminded me of myself during my time in the Academy," explained Tekku, providing a brief report of his encounter with Sasuke.

With a sigh, the Third Hokage nodded. "I see… Please elaborate on what you mean by feeling the same in the Academy."

"Well, for most above-average-talented Academy students, the curriculum becomes monotonous and repetitive at some point. The curriculum is currently quite lacking in what else could be taught. For example, there's nothing preventing teaching Academy students tree walking and water walking, which would be beneficial for those with larger chakra reserves. To be honest, the entire curriculum is too optimized for the average civilian student," ranted Tekku, expressing his concerns about the current Academy structure.

"And this is harmful for the future shinobi force. While the Academy ensures that even the weaker ones graduate, it results in weak Genin who are much more likely to die because they have the illusion that being a shinobi is about great heroic battles, like some idiotic brawler. Their instinctual reaction is to rush in and fight instead of relying on stealth and subterfuge, as a shinobi should," finished Tekku, outlining his criticisms of the portrayal of the Naruto manga.

To be honest, in later arcs, it became even worse; ninja became some kind of super soldiers instead of the assassins they should have been. Characters like Zabuza and Itachi were among the few who portrayed a more realistic view of the shinobi life. Unfortunately, the current shinobi academy reflects a similar sentiment. This was quite a disappointment for Tekku, who luckily had no illusions about the true nature of the shinobi life.

"Hmm, you point out some valid concerns. But you're forgetting that we are in peacetime. There's no need for children to become cold killing machines in the academy. That's why the First Hokage founded the village," explained the Third Hokage.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, we may be in peacetime now, but every student in the ninja academy is training to become a shinobi. At some point in their lives, they will be confronted with reality. And it's cruel to send them out without any idea of what awaits them. The kunoichi lessons in the academy are about flower arranging, rather than seduction and blending in. And you should know better than anyone else that peacetime is just a waiting period for the next war," Tekku replied logically, pointing out the flaw.

" Sigh I'm sorry that you had to see the truth of the world at such a young age. You may be right; it might just be the foolish wish of an old man to let the younger generation live in such an illusion. I'll take a look at the academy," sighed the Third Hokage, staring out of the window at the stone faces of the previous Hokage before turning back to Tekku. "Are you planning to train Sasuke in the future again?"

Sasuke seemed to be a sensitive subject for the Third Hokage, given how much he cared about Sasuke's training and well-being. It was no wonder; Itachi held many secrets that could harm the village, and Sasuke was a potential trigger. Despite being a pacifist, Sasuke could be the one thing that could push the Hokage over the edge. So, the Third Hokage would do his utmost to protect the boy, even if it was to make amends for past mistakes.

"Not really. We didn't make any agreements for future training. I made it clear that it was unlikely to happen again while he is in the academy. My main purpose in this training was to push him out of the hate and darkness, to make him see the world more like a true shinobi—with logic and calculation. I would say the beating I gave him helped, since I treated him as an equal, different from the rest of the village, which treats him either with pity or worship," explained Tekku calmly.

"Do you think Sasuke-kun is a flight risk?" asked Sarutobi, hearing the implications.

"Without a doubt. If someone offers him the power to kill Itachi, he would take it without hesitation," Tekku replied promptly.

"What would you recommend for me to do?"

"Hmm, there's no easy answer. Sasuke needs a mix of the right training; he needs to feel that the village benefits him, while also forming the right bonds without pushing him over the edge. This is based on what I know from canon. I joined Orochimaru because I felt I'd gain more power from him than from Konoha. I saw that I was growing much slower than Naruto," Tekku replied, his answer a logical combination of information he had.

"Thank you for your suggestion. You've given me a lot to think about. I won't permit you to teach him any jutsus, but you can continue to help Sasuke-kun when he asks for it. This might become one of the bonds you were talking about. Dismissed, Owl."

'Damn, I dug that grave myself. Now I'm probably going to be even more involved with Sasuke...' Tekku realized, having inadvertently advised the Hokage to let him train the boy from time to time.

He disappeared in a cloud of white smoke and arrived at his apartment, this time not taking the scenic route through the village. 'Well, at least my effort wasn't in vain,' thought Tekku as he pulled out a sealing tag and some vials.

The vials appeared to be filled with blood—Sasuke Uchiha's blood, the current reincarnation of Indra. Prime research materials. For a trained ANBU, it was relatively easy to collect blood samples during a fight from an academy student without them noticing.

But the content of the tag was even more important. He collected Sasuke's chakra during the fight, chakra infused with the essence of Indra and partially Six-Path chakra. This was likely his most precious research sample. If he could replicate its properties, it would grant him a significant power boost in the future.

And that wasn't all. His third gain was still in process; his clones, hidden with transformation in the Uchiha Library, were working diligently to copy down every scroll.

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